Barely warm still cold
乍暖还寒
Course Syllabus 课程章节
1Chun Fen, Qing Ming and Gu Yu are the final three solar terms of spring, they symbolize the retreating cold of winter and the rising heat of summer, here life is booming. Each solar term has three natural wonders, or “Wuhou” in Chinese. In Chun Fen, the first Wuhou is “The Arrival of a Mysterious Bird”, this is when the swallows fly back from the south. The second, “The Rolling Storm”, and third, “The Striking Lightning”, describes the rain, sky, thunder and lightning during Chun Fen. In Qing Ming, the three Wuhou’s are “The Blossoming Tung”, “The Hidden Field Mouse” and “The Visible Rainbows”. These wonders are about the flowers of the paulownia tung tree, the field mice who prefer shade, and the appearance of rainbows after a spring rain. In Gu Yu, the three Wuhou’s are “The Growing Duckweed”, “The Turtle Doves Arrival”, and “The Appearing Hoopoe Bird”. These natural wonders discuss the growing of plants that live in water, the cuckoo bird reminding people to plant seeds, and Hoopoe birds that are often spotted on mulberry trees. The cusp of warm and cold, the twilight of spring and the impending summer, the long awaited heat has caused the world to grow , the rain splashing down, bringing us life.
春分、清明、谷雨,是春天的后三个节气,象征着冬天的寒冷退去,气温渐渐回升,万物蓬勃生长。春分有三侯“一侯玄鸟至,二侯雷乃生,三侯光始电。”意即春分时节,燕子从南方飞回,下雨时天空会打雷并发出闪电;清明有三侯“一侯桐始华,二侯田鼠隐,三侯虹始现。”意即清明时节,桐花开放,喜阴的田鼠回到地底,雨后的天空能够出现彩虹;谷雨有三侯“一侯萍始生,二侯鸠拂羽,三侯戴胜降。”意即谷雨时节,水草开始生长,布谷鸟开始提醒人们播种,桑树上也能够见到戴胜鸟。
乍暖还寒,春暮夏近,阔别已久的暖意使万物萌发,雨水浇灌出它们生生不息的向往。